As Wounds Heal
by TheNotoriousNovelist
Summary: Sequel of "As Rose Petals Fall", read that first. AU: After being given only a few months to live, Dick Grayson and Zatanna Zatara have defied the odds and survived. But the battle's not over yet. The road to recovery is a long and difficult one but it's one they'll gladly travel down... together. Pairing: Chalant.
1. Prologue: This is Our Story

**A second attempt at writing a "As Rose Petals Fall" sequel. Wish me luck on this one xP**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice.**

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As Wounds Heal

Prologue:

This is Our Story

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 **Zatanna's P.O.V:**

My name is Zatanna Zatara and I'm 18-years-old this coming August. I'm also a Cancer Survivor. The cancer I had was Osteosarcoma, Stage II and it affected my legs. I thought I was going to die as my family had a history of female cancer coming from my mother, who died when I was 5 from Osteosarcoma, Stage III. But during July last year, I met a very strange boy. He was a few months younger than me and suffered from glioblastoma miltiforme brain tumors! Despite this, he refused to let it get him down and he was always smiling. His name was Richard John "Dick" Grayson II and I fell in love with him.

After being told I only had 7 months to live, Dick and I became a couple. It was the happiest time of my life. We went to a gamer convention, the cinema and even a charity ball together but our happiness was short-lived by the fact he was given only 5 months to live. Then things went crazy when I broke my legs only for the MRI to reveal my cancer receding! I still had to have my right leg amputated from the knee down and gave me a knee transplant but I was eventually cancer free.

Dick was overjoyed for me but he was still dying and didn't want me going through the pain of his death so he did something bot drastic and stupid... He went into surgery. He'd been told it was highly risky but if there was a chance he could survive for my sake, then he'd do it. The operation landed him in a severe coma spanning 5 weeks before he regained full awareness on December 1st, his 17th birthday.

Now that we're both in recovery, we got to leave St. Agnes Memorial Hospital for the final time and we moved back in with our families. My uncle, Giorgio Zatara, returned to Italy to earn money and left his son, my cousin, Zachary Zatara with us to attend school in America. Dick's family was filthy stinkin' rich so they owned a huge mansion called Wayne Manor but to avoid the press, they chose to stay in a penthouse owned by his family.

People think the battle's over when we're given the all-clear but they're wrong. The battle to recover is just as difficult and the fight to readjust to normal life was even more treacherous. My muscles are weak, I'm underweight and I have to learn to walk all over again. But I'm sure I can do it... as long as Dick's by my side.

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 **Dick's P.O.V:**

I'm Richard John Grayson II (after my Uncle Rick), Dick for short and I hate being called "junior". Anyways, I have a mutated gene called IDH1-R132H that I inherited from my father since it usually occurs in boys. This gene mutation causes glioblastoma multiforme brain tumors to grow. I had one when I was 14 and got it removed but the doctors missed an anomaly in my brain scan that turned out to be a secondary brain tumor. By the time I was 15, I had two of them and was hospitalized... I lost my little brother, Jason, to a car crash not long after.

When I was 16, I met the most _bea-uti-ful_ girl in the world! Zatanna Zatara, even her name was enchanting. She was suffering from cancer and had lost sight of the things around her. We became friends but I had a crush on her from the moment I looked into those magical sky-blues of hers. But I kept a secret from her... I'd been given 6 months to live and by the time we got together, it was down to 5.

But Zatanna was amazing! She refused to take "no" as an answer and I couldn't help but fall victim to her feminine wiles. We spent a heavenly 4 months together when we found out she was in remission. I was ecstatic for her but my condition took a turn for the worst. I didn't want Zatanna to have to suffer the pain of my death so I went in for a risky brain surgery to have my brain tumors removed. Something went wrong and landed me in a coma for 5 weeks.

When I finally came to, it was on my 17th birthday would you believe it. Zatanna was right there when I regained awareness. A side-affect of my coma and brain surgeries was occasional memory lapses and a loss of dexterity, particularly in my hands. I had the knowledge of how to write and draw but my hands had lost that. Even holding a pencil properly became a challenge. To add to it, I didn't find the joy I once had in numbers. I used to be able to go hours just writing the digits of pi but now it wasn't as fulfilling as before. But I wasn't going to let that get me down!

It was during a date with Zatanna to the hidden gems of Gotham City did it happen. We wandered into a music store and I found myself... entranced... by the synchronizing notes played being displayed on a computer monitor. The mechanics behind it was amazing and I understood it all through the power of math! There was a beautifully hand-carved violin sitting in the window and I had to check my hypothesis. The moment I drew the bow over the strings and the vibrations buzzed through my fingertips, I knew. I played each note before I recalled the sounds of violin pieces I'd heard before and, somehow, I was able to match up those memories of sound to the violin in my hands. It was amazing. The hands that now wrote like a 5-year-old, was playing Mozart by-ear! The look of utter shock on Zatanna's face was just so adorable that I couldn't help but laugh.

No one can do something alone. It's impossible. Growing your own food? Someone must have packaged the seeds and made the tools. Doing a painting? Someone must have made the canvas, the brushes and the paint. Playing the violin? Someone had to have carved that violin and someone must have written that sheet music. I can't heal from my wounds by myself, that's not possible. But I _know_ I can do it... with Zatanna.

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 **Oh boy. If any of you have any ideas for this story, feel free to review with them.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Start of a New Life

**Sorry for not updating sooner. My grandmother, who supported my writing, passed away recently so it's been hard for me. She never got to read my manuscript and I have a lot of regrets. The worst part is she died from a botched surgery so this story kinda touches that subject. Here's a piece of advice...**

 **NEVER TRUST SPANISH HEALTHCARE!**

 **Also, I'm dedicating this story to my late grandmother. I miss you...**

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As Wounds Heal

Chapter 1:

The Start of a New Life

 _...January 10th..._

Zatanna's eyes gently fluttered open that morning and she stiffly sat up, stretching her arms above her head. She smiled as she surveyed her bedroom. They'd only moved in a week ago but she'd already made it her own. The walls were painted lavender and white lace curtains hung in the windows. The carpet was a light shade of cream with a violet rug under her bed. She had a white bookcase already filled with books, picture frames and ornaments and her desk and chair were a matching white with a cushioned seat. Her wardrobe was also white but had intricate rose detailing framing the corners.

There were still boxes to be unpacked but that was to be expected. Her Uncle Giorgio had only just sent their things over from Italy. Today was a big day. Despite being in America for over two years now, Zatanna wasn't actually an American citizen but today she was going to become one. All the paperwork and legal issues had been sorted out and now she just had to go get her passport stamped (cross the T's and dot the I's, so to speak).

"Zatanna! I'm making chocolate chip pancakes!" Giovanni called from the kitchen.

"Save some for me!" she yelled.

It had been over a month since she managed to walk those few steps but learning to walk on a prosthetic leg was going to take a _long_ time. For now, she zipped around in a compact streamline wheelchair that folded away for easy storage.

* * *

Giovanni flipped a pancake into the air as Zachary quietly ate his stack at the kitchen counter. Due to being funded by Wayne Industries _(thank you, Dick)_ they could afford a rather luxurious condo that even had a hot tub on the balcony. He heard a door be opened and closed and Zatanna came wheeling in.

"Good morning," she happily sang.

"Morning, Zatanna," Giovanni responded.

"Buongiorno, Cugino Zatanna," Zachary said, his Italian accent still smooth like honey "C-Cous-in Zat-an-na," his American accent however... was less than perfect.

Giovanni finished Zatanna's stack of pancakes and finished them off with syrup and whipped cream. Zatanna attached the little table to her wheelchair's armrests and began eating her breakfast. As she chewed her first mouthful, there was a knock on the door. This was strange as their building had a doorman so the visitor must be someone... Zatanna grinned as she realized who it was. There was a chorus of welcomes when Giovanni opened the door and Dick entered the kitchen, bending over backwards to spider-crawl his way in.

"Hey-oh! Ready to become an American citizen, Zee?" he asked before collapsing onto the floor.

"Yup! How 'bout you? You're auditioning for that music conservatory this afternoon, right?" Zatanna asked.

"The St. Claire De La Fontaine Conservatory of Musical Arts, yep! That's the one... guess what my piece is!" Dick asked as he sat up at her feet.

"Dunno," she responded, shrugging as she took in another mouthful of chocolate chippy goodness.

"A certain catchy anime theme song..." he answered with an evil smirk "Doo-do-do-do-doo-doo-doo-doo..."

"Guren no Yumiya?!" Zatanna exclaimed, almost coughing up her pancakes "I know you like anime but-"

"But it sounds amazing on the *violin!" Dick interrupted.

She sighed and smiled at him. He got to his feet and sat himself on a barstool by the counter. Giovanni and Bruce had come into the kitchen from talking at the front door and the latter had a smooth black leather violin case with a blue bird emblem sawn into the wider end. Since they'd be out all day and Dick's violin was _extremely_ valuable, he wasn't letting it out of his sight.

* * *

Zatanna had to finish her breakfast, shower, put on her prosthetic leg and get dressed before they could leave. She was smiling ear-to-ear as they drove through the slush-filled roads. On her head she did _not_ wear her dirty-blonde wig. After everything that had happened to her, she was once again comfortable with a wig that resembled her real hair. Although, since her chemotherapy had stopped, Zatanna's hair had been growing back a softer texture and the ends were curling.

She still had radiotherapy to help prevent tumor regrowth but was an out patient at Dr. Thompson's clinic. Dick was having the same treatment to his brain so he still didn't have much hair but that didn't matter. Shauna had outfitted him with a wig also of wavy raven-black locks. He was also sure to keep the beanie his brother gave him firmly on his head.

After driving through the city, Alfred brought the car to a stop outside of City Hall. As everyone clambered out, Dick took Zatanna into his arms and helped her into her wheelchair. They had to go round the side for the wheelchair ramp but they soon found themselves inside the building. It was quiet with people waiting in line for various reasons. Zatanna reached into her satchel and took out her new passport. Just had to be stamped...

"Hey, babe, whatcha want to do after this?" Dick asked, leaning down to childishly rest his head on hers.

"Aren't we going to that Support Group?" she asked.

"Boo... I hate group therapy," he complained "C'mooooooon, Zee, let's skip and go play Knights of the Realm or something... I don't wanna be bummed by Group before my audition..."

"Well... I hear a new MMO is coming out by the same people who made KtR..." Zatanna wondered aloud.

"SAO?"

"No..."

"Oh..."

During their little banter, they'd reached the front of the line. Zatanna presented her papers and such and watched intensely as the woman stamped her passport. As they made their way out the building, she stared at the stamp with a smile on her face. She was now officially an American citizen and this was the start of a whole new life for her.

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 ***If you want to hear Guren no Yumiya on the violin, go listen to Taylor Davis on YouTube. It really is amazing...**

 **Also, I mean no disrespect to anyone attending group therapy. I'm sure it can really help it's just that Dick is not one to talk about his problems in front of people he doesn't want to worry.**


	3. Chapter 2: Sweet Melodies

**Hey, if any of you are Rave Master fans then please check out my new fanfic titled "Rave Mistress" and no, it's not a genderswap story.**

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As Wounds Heal

Chapter 2:

Sweet Melodies

 _...January 10th, later the same day..._

Dick didn't look like someone you'd expect to audition for the St. Claire De La Fontaine Conservatory of Musical Arts. He looked like a roughed up 17-year-old in a beanie and an unbuttoned red-and-black plaid shirt with a black vest underneath... which he was. His fingers shook as he signed his name for the audition sign-in and it came out looking like a child's writing. Writing frustrated him but if his unstable hands could play such a sweet melody on the violin, then he would. Zatanna, Dick and Dick's adoptive family sat down in the concert hall as they watched other people audition for the Conservatory. Dick held his violin case tightly in his hands as his knuckles turned white. Zatanna had never seen him nervous before, not even when he was going into surgery so she took his hand and gently rubbed her thumb in circles around his palm. He took a deep breath and gave her a nervous grin.

There was an applause as the current musician finished their piece and the teachers running the auditions took their notes on them. Then the headmistress of the school, Madame De La Fontaine, looked through the list of names for the next audition.

"Richard John Grayson the 2nd?!" she called, her French accent thick like caramel.

Dick nervously stood up and walked down the isle to the stage. He nervously held his violin case as he went up the steps and stood on the center X. A spotlight was shining down on him and only him with the rest of the concert hall dark.

"So, Monsieur Grayson, what will you be playing for us today?" Madame De La Fontaine asked, looking through the papers on her clipboard.

"Uh- um..." Dick swallowed and took a deep breath, reassuring himself of his choice "Guren no Yumiya, the theme song for an anime called Attack on Titan,"

There was a murmur from the audience and he felt his hands become clammy with sweat.

"Proceed," Madame De La Fontaine instructed.

Dick lay his violin case on the provided table and pulled on a pair of white gloves that both protected his hands and prevented sweat from messing up his playing. He gently placed the beautifully carved violin under his chin and positioned the bow just above the strings. He took another deep breath and looked past the people in the audience to see Zatanna smiling at him. He smiled back and took just one more deep breath before falling into "violinist mode". The moment the backup track began playing, he pulled the bow back and forth over the violin strings with speed and precision like that of the greats.

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In the car on the way home, Dick couldn't stop drumming his fingers against his violin case. It would be two weeks before the acceptance/rejection letters were sent out but the overwhelming feeling of what he just did filled him up with excitement. Zatanna smiled at him. He had been so nervous but now he was so happy.

"Hey, babe, you wanna play Knights of the Realm at my place? We can order pizza and totally splurge. Sound fun?" she asked.

"Yeah but I got some course work to do so... okay!" Dick said, his smile growing even wider "I need to procrastinate more, anyway. I'm already doing three university courses on advanced mathematics, theoretical physics and historical literature and I just auditioned to do university-level music studies. I need to do something pointless..."

Zatanna smiled and laughed along with him but it got her thinking about her own academic situation. What did she want to do? Dick was a genius and a rich one too so he could afford to study music only to decide to do something completely different with his life. But she wasn't so sure... Her tennis career was over and she was okay with that but now what was she suppose to do? Zatanna looked out the car window at the Gotham streets. The slush was pushed to the sides of the roads and the snow had melted to puddles. Christmas at St. Agnes' had been fun but now they were out in the world again. So what was she meant to do?

"Oh, Zee- _ee!"_ Dick sang "You're looking worried. My guess about the future. But don't worry 'cause I'll be here by your side, no matter what,"

Zatanna looked back at him and gave him a sad smile. Unsatisfied with this reaction, he resorted to tickling her mercilessly until she was crying with laughter with a huge grin on her face.

* * *

 _...Later that night..._

Dick sat on the floor of his bedroom as he polished the components of his violin. He had to keep it in tip-top condition no matter what. He carefully tuned it and gently pulled the bow across the freshly-changed strings. The sound resonated through the air and echoed around, bouncing off the walls and and wooden floorboards. Such a sweet and gentle sound...

"Dickie?"

Dick looked up to see his little sister, Helena, peeking through a crack in the door. He lowered his violin and she came in, running on her tiptoes. She sat on the floor next to him with a thud and looked up at him expectantly.

"Is there something you want, Lena?" Dick asked.

"Play for me," Helena said "I wanna hear you play. Your violin sounds really pretty so... would you? Please?"

He ruffled her neatly plaited black hair before lifting his violin to his chin again and he gently dragged the bow over the strings. It was nearly 9 o'clock, Helena'a bed time, so she really needed to go to sleep. To aid in that, Dick played a nice soft tune to lull her. To be accurate, he played the *Fairy Tail theme for her. Helena began yawning as the elegant violin began to calm her. By the time Bruce and Selina arrived to take her to bed, she was already curled up on the floor with her head on Dick's knee and her eyes closed as she dreamed.

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 ***Go check out Taylor Davis again if you want to hear it. She's on YouTube, if I didn't mention that before and is my reference for the violin pieces Dick plays. She's really good!**


	4. Chapter 3: Knights of the Cosmos

**WARNING : Spoilers for the Attack on Titan manga and Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic are in this chapter. Like... right at the beginning.**

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As Wounds Heal

Chapter 3:

Knights of the Cosmos

 _...January 13th, a few days later..._

Zatanna waited patiently at the radiotherapy clinic for Dick to be done with his treatment. Since meeting him for the first time there half a year ago, her life had sped up and had been filled with love and excitement. Over those past few months, she had also learned why so many people referred to Dr. Thompson by her first name. Leslie was family. She had helped Alfred raise Bruce and was a surrogate grandmother for both Dick and Helena.

The doors swung open and Dick came out, pulling his beanie onto his head. He approached Zatanna, leaned down and kissed her forehead. She liked it when he kissed her so sweetly. It filled her heart with love.

"Hey, Zee, guess what," he teased.

"Aladdin is a Magi?"

"Already knew that,"

"The Titans were once humans?"

"Totally called that,"

"What is it, Dick?" Zatanna asked, having run out of anime references from the top of her head.

Dick put his fingers to his lips for secrecy and he pushed her out of the clinic and back to the car. He remained silent as Alfred drove them back to the condo the Wayne family was staying at. He just kept this pursed smile on his face the whole time, obviously desperate to reveal the secret.

* * *

Alfred stopped outside of the underground parking zone to scan the entry card before driving them in. Dick took Zatanna into his arms and carried her until Alfred could get her fold-away wheelchair out of the trunk. Even then, he insisted on pushing her rather than letting her propel herself. It seemed his resistance against revealing his secret was wavering.

Finally, they entered the Waynes' condo and Dick took her to the entertainment center. There, he sat Zatanna down on the sofa and used his body to hide his actions as he loaded something on a pair of laptops. He sat down on the other end of the sofa with one of the laptops and passed the other to her. They slid earphone-microphone headsets on and Zatanna curiously watched the loading screen. Wasn't this just Knights of the Realm?

Suddenly, a logo of red meteors falling behind black letters shot onto a background of stars. The letters said: **Knights of the Cosmos**. Zatanna's jaw dropped. This was the new game from the KtR developers but it wasn't supposed to be out until next month!

"How the H-E-double-hockey-sticks do you have Knights of the Cosmos already?!" she exclaimed.

"You forget the perks of being rich. I made some calls and got two advanced copies shipped here but it took a week to get here. Since KtC hasn't been released to the public yet, the only other players we'll encounter will be others who own advanced copies. So, rich kids, beta testers, professional gamers, game reviewers and contest winners," Dick explained "You wanna play?"

"Hex yeah! Let's get to it!" Zatanna exclaimed.

They logged into their Knights+ accounts to register their games with the developers before simultaneously clicking **START**.

* * *

After 6 hours straight of gaming, Dick and Zatanna had made great strides in Knights of the Cosmos. Dick's new avatar was named "Robin-X" with boosted stealth and agility stats. He'd signed up for the Intergalactic Mercenary career and had level-grinded to get to Level 22 already. Zatanna decided to name her new avatar "Eclipse Mage" with boosted combat and sorcery stats. She had signed up for the Star Sorceress career and the level-grinding got her to Level 18. They still needed to unlock some skills they wanted like Bio-Hacking and Void Magic but their eyes could only stare at a screen for so long.

Since they had registered their games with the developers, other players could go to their profiles and see what other games the user had played and under what name. That meant anyone could find out Robin-X and Nightwing had been created by the same user. The same went for Magic Mistress and Eclipse Mage.

"You wanna go hunting for skill gear after this?" Dick asked as he passed his girlfriend a mug of whipped cream-topped hot chocolate.

"Sure. I was looking stuff up online and there's this Cellular Staff that I wanna get," Zatanna said "It apparently speeds up progress in the Void Magic skill by 50% when you use it to cast a spell. What do you want?"

"I was thinking of getting the Dark Matter Escrima Sticks. They increase the force of the attack by 70% and you advance in Dark Matter Manipulation 25% faster," he said "But you have to be Level 35 to gain access to the teleporter you need to take to get to the meteor they're on,"

"We better get back to leveling then, huh?" Zatanna said, finishing off her drink.

"Yup,"

After finishing their hot chocolate and eating some reheated leftovers, they went back to their game and leveled up like there was no tomorrow.

* * *

After a solid _10 HOURS_ of gaming, it was 9 o'clock and Zatanna's curfew. Dick pushed her along the hallway to her door before turning her around to face her. They smiled at each other before he leaned down to kiss her. Zatanna held his wrists as he cupped her face in his hands. Dick pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

"You are the _best_ girlfriend in the world, Zee, and I love you," he said, smiling sweetly at her.

"Aww, you're sweet. I love you too," she responded.

Zatanna smiled at him before taking out her key and opening the front door. Dick held the door wide open for her before the door was shut on another day together. The two of them had gotten together on July 4th and now that it was January 13th, they'd been dating for 5 and 1/2 months (give or take a week). Dick smiled as he headed back for the elevator and pressed the button to go down to the lobby.

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 **So... anyone having trouble figuring out what to get people for Christmas or Hanaka or whatever you celebrate? I've got my parents, my four brothers, my sister, my first brother's wife, my third brother's wife, my nephew and my two nieces to shop for. At least I don't have to shop for my _extended_ family. I lost track of my aunts, uncles and cousins many moons ago.**


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